Who are we?

The George Padmore Institute (GPI) charity is an archive and educational centre which celebrates the vital political and cultural contributions of Britain’s post-1945 communities of Caribbean, African and Asian descent. Our unique archive grew out of the activism of people connected with New Beacon Books, Britain’s first black publisher and bookshop, co-founded in 1966 by the late John La Rose and Sarah White. We currently hold 18 collections including the Black Parents Movement, the Caribbean Artists Movement and the Personal Papers of John La Rose.

In April 2023, the GPI became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. We have a long history of working with contemporary artists on high-quality, innovative projects to publish books on Black British history and connect with new audiences. Writers-in-Residence at the GPI include the award-winning poet Jay Bernard who wrote ‘Surge’, ten poems inspired by our New Cross Massacre Campaign archives, which were published in the book Beacon of Hope. Most recently, we worked with acclaimed children’s author Ken Wilson-Max who wrote and illustrated two books for young readers (five- to eight-year-olds) based on the GPI’s archives on Carnival and our co-founder John La Rose. Both books Dream to Change the World: The Story of John La Rose and Jump Up! A Story of Carnival are part of our Reaching New Generations series for children and young adults.

What is our project?

As part of our Reaching New Generations series of books we are looking for two authors of fiction for young people in Key Stage Three (age range: 11–13-years-old). The books must be based on or inspired by research of the GPI’s archive collections of Black British history. We are looking for a word count of approximately 9,000 words.

Who can apply?

Applicants should be emerging or established writers from diverse backgrounds to each write a high-quality fiction book based on the GPI’s archives of Black British history. Authors must be free to enter a contract with the GPI and publish their work as part of our Reaching New Generations series. Unfortunately, we are not looking to work with agented authors.

Publication schedule

We will appoint the authors by January 2025 and plan to publish the two books by spring 2026. Appointments to visit the archive and research our collections will be made with the GPI archivist Sarah Garrod.

How to apply

Please send a book proposal of 800 words maximum and a CV to Teresa Palmiero at info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org. The deadline is Friday 20 December 2024.

SUPPORT THE GPI

The GPI is an independent charity (1003001), it is not associated with any other organisation. We rely on grants and individual donations to continue to preserve and make available the stories of many black and Asian communities. See details below for ways to make a donation.

‍PayPal

Pay via PayPal to the account info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org

Bank transfer

CAF Bank Account:

Sort Code: 40 52 40

Account No: 00035060

Email info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org to confirm bank transfer.

Cheques

Make out a cheque to George Padmore Institute and post to: 76 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EN.